Last New Year holiday, I got some free time, so I decided to go to Kansai area with my friends. There’s this place that I’ve been dying to visit the first time I saw its picture. This place is not as popular as other tourist spots in Japan. Only a few people are aware of it as well. It’s located in the remote part of western Nara. Let me tell you more about it.

The place I’m talking about is Muro Art Forest. Have you heard of it before? It’s an open-air museum and park in the heart of Muro village. It is a 700 meters (2,300 feet) in length park. It is originally conceptualized by Bukichi Inoue, a local sculptor and the varied art pieces in the park were designed by renowned Israeli sculptor, Dani Karavan. The art used was based on the theme “Harmony between Nature and Art”.

This place is a family-friendly destination. It is a perfect place to relax and escape from the bustle of everyday life. It’s such a peaceful place. I hope you’ll get a chance to see and visit this place. For you to get to there, you have to go hiking for 30 minutes, not to mention the train and bus rides for long hours. It may be difficult to get there but it’s all worth it.

Let me share a picture of me in my favorite art piece.
I hope you’ll like it.

＊シャリカ先生、今回の年末年始休暇を利用して写真で見た時からずっと行きたかったという「室生山公園芸術の森」を訪れました。素晴らしいアートを堪能できて、しかも奈良県の他の観光スポットにくらべると、訪れる人が少ない穴場スポットだそうです。皆さまも訪れてみてはいかがでしょうか？

Mark 先生から年末年始バケーションのレポートです！

Happy Holidays fam. Wow! I had a blast this year. I went shopping, hit the slopes, and dined on a yacht amongst other things. I had no time to waste. We had such a short holiday break from work that I had to get it all in  fast lol. I miss that amazing weather in Hawaii right now but the cold weather here is kind of growing on me. At first, I couldn’t handle the cold but now it’s chill. So much excitement here in Japan that I can’t seem to get enough. Japan’s a place where the gaijin learns how to party for real lol. I mean the party doesn’t ever stop! Anyhow, I just want to wish everyone Happy Holidays and a better New Year. Peace!

ハワイ生活が長かったマーク先生、日本の冬の寒さは苦手だったけど、最近は慣れてきて “It’s chill” と言ってますね。Chillは冷たい、という意味の他に、落ち着いている、とか、心地よい、という意味でもネイティブの人たちはよく使います。つまり、この冬の寒さも問題なくなった、ということでしょう。それににしても、マーク先生の年末年始は、ショッピング、スキーにいったり（hit the slopes）、ヨットでの食事などなど、ずいぶんと楽しんだようです。正月の日本人のパーティー三昧にも驚いたと言ってますので、きっと楽しいバケーションだったのでしょう。